Winemaker's Notes:

After a cold and wet beginning, the 2005 vintage developed into a wonderfully moderate growing season that had plenty of sun and some decent hot temperatures, but contained no really aggressive heat spikes. This helped the grapes to mature very evenly and deeply with beautifully ripe flavors and rich, round tannins and allowed us to pick the vineyard calmly over several weeks when each block had reached its peak.

This wine jumps from the glass with an animated nose of flowers, black cherries and ripe plums liberally inflected with aromas of cedar shavings, cigar box, wet river rocks and graphite. It cascades across the palate revealing rich layers of black cherries, Crème de cassis and blueberries intermixed with generous hints of black tea and cardamom, leading to a reverberant exit of spiced plums and kola nuts followed by a lengthy mouth coating finish. While drinking well now, it will benefit from and open up more fully with some additional time in bottle and should continue to develop more weight and complexity over the next 10+ years.

My Notes:

Additional wines from Staglin Family Vineyard:

About Staglin Family Vineyard:

Founded in 1985 by Shari, Garen, Brandon and Shannon, Staglin Family Vineyard takes pride in the tradition of family ownership and participation. With an uncompromising commitment to quality, their mission is to produce world-class wines that reflect the distinctive character of this historic Rutherford Bench estate. As stewards of this land, they farm the vineyard organically, tap into their solar fields for power and produce the wines in a state-of-the-art underground production facility. The Staglins are passionate about their business, their land, their philanthropy and for the meaningful relationships they develop with each passing day. They hope this passion is evident when you enjoy their wines.